Exploring Fear and Social Connection Through the Sciences

This event will explore fear, interpersonal conflict, and social connection through an interdisciplinary lens, giving us the tools to apply these concepts to solving the problems we face in our communities in the mold of the Institute’s philosophy. We will begin with a meet-and-greet portion, during which light refreshments will be served and guests will have the chance to learn about current research around these topics in the form of posters and hands-on activities. Subsequently, guests will hear a series of short presentations from panelists on the subjects of the night, to be followed by a question-answer session.

The Nonviolence Institute’s mission is to teach, by word and example, the principles and practices of nonviolence, and to foster a community that addresses potentially violent situations with nonviolent solutions. It works to build Dr. King’s ideal of the nonviolent Beloved Community.

Adaner Usmani:

Adaner Usmani is a Postdoctoral Fellow in International and Public Affairs at the Watson Institute at Brown University. He writes about the origins and consequences of American mass incarceration.

Mascha Frank:

Mascha Frank is an Affiliate Investigator with CfNN and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University. The focus of her research is the application of non-invasive brain stimulation in combination with cognitive-emotional processing and training (e.g. fear extinction, virtual reality based PTSD cue exposure) in order to develop improved treatments for Veterans with PTSD (Focus Area 2). Her strong background in cognitive neuropsychiatry merges experimental psychology, cognitive neuroscience and psychiatry to better understand psychopathology and underlying neural circuitry for ultimate clinical benefit.

Format: Interactive fair, Panel discussion, reception

Ages: Adults, Family, Young adult friendly (high school), College students, Senior